


Breath of Life

by PalestAzure



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22173661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PalestAzure/pseuds/PalestAzure
Summary: It’s been two months since the tragedy Ethan and Zyra faced. Ethan and Zyra have a random encounter that continues bringing them closer together and helping each other heal in their shared grief and in Ethan’s loneliness.
Relationships: Dr. Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart), Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 11





	Breath of Life

**Author's Note:**

> The Elementalists is mentioned in this story.

It was a clear day. There was only a single cloud in the sky. It sat alone far away off to the side of the sun whose rays brought a calm warmth below. Zyra felt that warmth on her skin, providing a balance to the slight chill in the afternoon air. Her dark green fleece hoodie provided the additional warmth to accompany her during her errand. 

She stood at the corner of the intersection, waiting for the crosswalk signal to turn green. She pulled out her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. With a few touches of her thumb, a map appeared that showed her that she indeed needed to cross the street ahead of her. Another 5-minute walk, it guided. 

The crosswalk signal finally gave her permission to cross. She placed her phone back into her pocket and made it to the other side of the street. As she continued walking, she noticed a man looking in a store window. He stood with a strong posture, his arms folded against his chest. The man was attired in a black blouson jacket that accentuated his long and lean frame. A black and grey plaid scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck. 

Her eyes widened in recognition. 

“Dr. Ramsey?”

The man’s head turned towards her direction with his body position not once changing. The familiarity of his jeweled blue eyes met hers. They immediately softened in response to whom they were now focused on. 

“Rookie.”

Zyra smiled and approached closer, joining him at his side. She glimpsed over and peered into the window, seeing a variety of baked treats: cupcakes, cookies, cakes, candies, and an assortment of other mouth-watering pastries. 

“Someone must have a serious sweet tooth this afternoon.” 

“Well, someone once told me that I should treat myself once in a while.” Ethan smiled at her and then turned his focus back on the selections before them. “That chocolate raspberry cake is tempting.” 

Zyra scanned for it in the display and began reading the description. _Natural raspberry filling with chunks of raspberry in each bite_. “Chocolate and raspberry. You definitely can’t go wrong with that.” 

His lack of response made her glance up at him. His face had hardened, yet his eyes radiated the same sense of grief she witnessed in them the night Dolores passed. Those same eyes were fixated on something. Zyra tried to follow his line of sight to the cake, but it did not match. It was actually above. Her brows lowered in concern as she noticed what it was.

“Dr. Ramsey?” She reached up, gently placing her hand on his arm. 

“I see them everywhere now since she passed. The frogs.” 

His arms were still crossed, but the hand resting on top of his own arm naturally reached out further to meet hers. The tips of his fingers were freezing, awakening the nerves on the back of her hand. His hand now rested on hers, his fingers warming up against her skin. It was her warmth that reinforced that he was still alive. 

Sitting on a display shelf above the chocolate raspberry cake were sculpted frogs made from chocolate. There were frogs of white chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. The cartoonish design gave them large circular eyes and long, curved grins that gave them a clownish appearance. The grin, to her, appeared to be mocking them.

Neither of them said a word. They were both lost in their own thoughts of what this symbol held for them. For Ethan, it was a symbol of his dear friend whom he lost and could never get back. For Zyra, it was a symbol of her first loss as a doctor. But together, it was a symbol of their shared grief.

“There’s this TV show that I watch.” Zyra began. Ethan looked at her from the corner of his eye. “The show is called ‘The Elementalists’. Have you see it?”

“I’m not much for television.”

“Well, the show is about a college for students of magic. And the characters have these animals called familiars. They are special to each person. They help protect them.” Zyra kept her eyes on the frogs, but could see Ethan’s reflection in the glass. “A couple of weeks ago, the main character got her familiar. I bet you could guess what kind of animal it was.”

“A frog?”

“Exactly. It’s name is Tim, by the way. But when it first appeared, I just started crying uncontrollably. It took my roommates almost 20 minutes to get me to calm down.”

Zyra noticed his eyes flicker towards her direction. And his fingers began to wrap protectively around her hand. 

“I guess we both can’t look at frogs the same way again.”

“Perhaps now, but I’d like to think that baby Ethan is safe and being protected by his own familiar like Tim.” 

“Comparing real life situations to fiction is purely illogical.”

“Maybe, but we all have to find some way to make sense of our grief.” 

Ethan stayed positioned like a statue. She saw his expression in the reflection, his forehead creased. She looked at him and then back to the frogs. Sadness appeared to cloud his features. She squeezed his arm before letting go. 

“Wait here.” Her mouth curved up into a smile. 

Ethan watched her go inside the pastry shop. He could see her at the counter. She interacted with the cashier with her bright and contagious smile, the sign of her unwavering kindness towards others. As she made her way outside towards him, he finally dropped his arms and turned to face her. 

“This is for you.” She held out a white box with the shop’s sky blue logo centered on the top. He opened the box and gave a half smile as he viewed the contents inside. 

“You didn’t have to do that. I was going to go and get it myself.”

“Were you, really?” Zyra smirked, lifting one eyebrow at him. 

“I guess we’ll never know now, Rookie, but thank you.” His eyes met hers. A slight hint of contentment escaped the grief that filled them. “I don’t think I could eat this all on my own. Would you care to share it with me, if you have the time?”

Zyra’s face was alight in shock, and she couldn’t help but smile widely at him. “Of course I have some time.” 

“Have you been to Boston Common?” Ethan motioned towards the direction with his head. 

“No, not yet.”

“There’s a nice spot near the pond where we could sit.”

“Sure.”

Ethan’s expression changed, and he gave Zyra a beaming smile. They walked side by side to the park, which was only a couple of blocks away. Once they entered, Zyra took in the fall colors of the grass and trees. They walked along a path where she saw a few people sitting on blankets enjoying the sunshine. A man throwing a frisbee with his dog chasing after it in the grass. A group of children running around the large trunk of a tree. A young woman tossing a coin into the fountain. 

“We’re here.” Ethan sat on a bench next to the pond. It’s waters were still, with the only movement coming from the small gentle ripples from the ducks floating along its surface. Zyra joined him on the bench, staring out into the pond. She looked around awestruck by what she saw, and she immediately felt a sense of tranquility.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know this was here.” 

“It’s one of my favorite spots. It helps me think, especially during trying times.”

“I thought that was the bar,” she teased with a wide smile.

“You presume to know me so well, don’t you, Rookie?” His smile slipped. 

“No. I’m just paying attention.” 

“Well, as a doctor, sometimes our schedules prevent us from appreciating what’s around us. We can become so focused on just our job.”

“With all of the studying and the internship, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to truly see this city yet.”

Ethan leaned back into the support of the bench, finding a comfortable position. “I could definitely give you some recommendations.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Ramsey.”

“Ethan. You can call me Ethan outside of work.”

Zyra felt her cheeks flush. Ethan was staring out in the direction of the pond, so she felt assured that he didn’t notice. Even sitting, he was still poised like a statue. The box was across his lap. One hand resting on top of it. His eyesight never wavered from the view of the pond. Whenever he is in deep thought, he must not move much, she thought to herself.

“She wanted me to be the godfather.” Ethan changed the subject. In shock, she turned her head to look at him, but tried to keep her mouth from becoming agape. 

“That’s quite an honor, Ethan.” His first name slipped off her tongue so easily, which contradicted the thoughts running through her head. The ease of his name escaping her mouth. His permission to do so. She couldn’t describe the closeness she felt with him at that very moment. But she couldn’t deny nor resist it. 

“Her sisters told me last week. I want to do it for her. For Dolores. Whatever I can do for her child, I will.”

“So you’ll be baby Ethan’s _familiar_?”  
  
“So I’m a frog now?”

“Ribbit ribbit.” 

Ethan shook his head, but couldn’t help but chuckle. His chuckle soon turned into a gentle laughter that filled the space between them. His laughter was contagious. It became a new sound that was burning into her memory. An additional memory that just the two of them shared. And soon Zyra joined him.

After collecting themselves, Zyra asked, “How is baby Ethan?”

“One of Dolores’ sisters will be taking him. She’s still here. She’ll take him back to Minneapolis with her once he’s stronger.” 

“I’m so happy to hear that. Baby Ethan will have the love from his family. And you.”

“Yes, it seems it is something to be happy about.” Ethan glanced at her warmly.

“Can I ask you something?”

He nodded. 

“How do you do it?”  
  
“Do what?”

“I mean, how do you go to work everyday and not show any signs of your grief? I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound insensitive.”

Ethan let out a long sigh before answering. “When you’ve been doing this job for a while, you have to learn how to leave your personal feelings at the door. If you let them affect you while working, you could negatively affect the outcome of a patient’s care.”

“How do you do that? I still can’t get Dolores’ passing out of my head at work.”

“It’s because she was your first. But at the end of the day, you have to focus on what is best for each patient. Once you put all your energy into it, then you’ll realize that at _that_ very moment, your grief over your friend’s passing is not important, your excitement over a piece of cake isn’t important, or…” Ethan diverted his eyes from Zyra. “…the unexpected feelings you might feel for someone also aren’t important.” 

Recognition dawned on her face at his last words. He couldn’t possibly be talking about her. Could he be feeling the same way? No. He probably was referring to someone from his past. Dr. Emery even. Not her. It could _never_ be her. 

“But don’t ever lose it, Rookie. The way you naturally care for others. This will set you apart from many of the doctors.”

“I promise.”

She noticed his fingers drumming against the box still sitting on his lap. 

“How about we dig into that cake?”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” Ethan lifted the lid of the box and pulled out the single plastic fork that accompanied the slice. “It looks like we may have to share.” He held up the fork.

“I don’t mind.” Zyra replied. “But I think you should take the first bite.”

He gave a half-smile as he took a bite. Zyra stared at his expression, trying to read his impression of the cake. 

“Wow. You should try it.” 

He offered the fork to her. When she grabbed the fork, she could feel the residual warmth from Ethan on its handle. Ethan placed his arm along the back of the bench, and held the box within her reach with his opposite hand. Zyra noticed how the space between them shrunk by his simple gesture. She could feel his arm brushing up against her back. Although her heart began to race, she did not want to move away from him. She welcomed it. 

As soon as the prongs met the cake, they easily sank and disappeared into the moist doubled layers. Hints of the raspberry filling emerged and stained the fork, leaving traces of its creamy redness. Once the cake reached her mouth, there was a mix of a savory sweetness that exploded on her tongue. She closed her eyes and moaned in response to the deliciousness that overwhelmed her senses. 

“You’re right. This _is_ wow.” She couldn’t help but notice the amused look on Ethan’s face. “What?”

He didn’t verbally respond. He just smirked.

“This isn’t that cliche moment where I have something on my face, is it?” Her hand self-consciously went over her mouth. 

“Unfortunately, it is.” He pointed to the corner of his mouth. “Right here.” 

Instead of trying to wipe it away, Zyra wiped a small piece of the chocolate frosting on her finger. “Oh, you mean right here?” She wiped the chocolate on the corner of Ethan’s mouth and then bursted out laughing. 

“Rookie!” 

Zyra was still laughing. He sat there frozen in shock glaring at her. He should have been angry. But there was something about her that suppressed his anger. Although a bit annoyed, her smile, her laughter, her humor made him feel more at ease and a little bit less tense. Perhaps it was what he needed in his life. 

“It looks like we match now.”

“I regret sharing this cake with you.” He forced a frown, but couldn’t keep up the mask. He finally smiled.

Inside the box were a few napkins. He grabbed one and gently wiped the chocolate from Zyra’s mouth. Then, turning the napkin over to a clean side, he wiped his own. Zyra didn’t know how to respond. She timidly looked away, focusing her gaze on a duck flipping itself underneath the water. 

“Um, thank you,” she finally responded. She passed him the fork. They continued eating the cake in silence, staring out into the pond as they both took in the view. 

“I shouldn’t keep you. I know you have some business to attend.” Ethan moved his arm from behind Zyra and increased the space between them. 

“It’s all right. I’m just supposed to pick up some snacks for our monthly game night.”

“Game night?”

“Yeah. Dr. Varma, Dr. Olsen, Dr. Greene, Dr. Trinh, and I. We started doing this last month.”

“Right. You’re all roommates.”

“Yeah.” Zyra immediately noticed his expression closing up. “What are your plans tonight?”

“I’ll probably go visit Reggie at the bar. Maybe look over some patient cases.”

“No interesting art show or opera you want to see?”

“You really do pay attention, don’t you? But no, nothing at the moment. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Zyra teasingly elbowed him in the side. 

“Anyway, where are you headed?” 

Zyra pulled out her phone and showed him the map. “I’m supposed to go here.” She pointed. 

“I’m heading in that direction. I can take you,” Ethan offered.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s not a problem.”

He stood up and walked over to a trash can to toss the empty container. Zyra stood up waiting for him to return. She could feel the change in the air. It had become colder. As Ethan was walking back, he noticed her shivering in place. 

“You all right?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You look cold.”

“I’m fine. I’ll get used to this weather at some point.” She was rubbing her hands together. 

“Well, until you do, here.” Ethan unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and placed it around hers. “You need this more than I do.” He gently lifted some of her hair that became caught in the scarf. 

She studied his face as he helped her. His eyes at times peered at her, glistening in her direction. She felt overcome by an intense realization that she was falling for this man. The man who had inspired her to become a doctor. A part of her felt scared and wanted to back away. But the other part, the dominant part of her, wanted to move in closer to him to show him how she felt. She was aching to reach out and place her hand on the side of his face, bring his gaze to meet hers, and move in for an aggressive kiss. She anticipated the taste of his lips. The feeling of his tongue against hers. How his beard would feel rubbing against her skin in the heat of their passionate kiss. 

But when he was finished, he began to walk away. 

“Coming, Rookie?” Snapping out of her daydream, she followed.

While they were walking, Zyra could smell Ethan’s scent that permeated the scarf. His scent was intoxicating. He did not have an unnatural scent that was based on a specific brand of cologne. Instead, it was more earthy almost like the smell after a nice rainfall. There was also a second lingering scent that she couldn’t make out. It was subtle but had a leathery scent to it. The combination was wonderfully aromatic. 

“Here were are.” 

She hadn’t noticed that they had already reached their destination. “So we are. Thank you, Dr. … er, Ethan.” 

“Hopefully, you’re feeling a bit warmer.”

“Yes. The scarf is indeed a lifesaver.”

“Good. I hope it continues keeping you warm on your way home.”

“I’ll return it to you soon.”

“No rush.” He raised his hand. “Have a good evening, Rookie.” He seemed to be forcing a smile. There was a hint of sadness behind. 

“Wait.”

“Rookie?”

“You know, with everything that’s been going on, sometimes a simple hug can be quite the cure. Research has proven that a hug increases social well-being and happiness due to the release of oxytocin. I just thought maybe you might need one.” She stated confidently, trying to hide her nerves.

There was a long pause. Her jaw clenched in anticipation of his response. What was she doing? Could she have been reading everything between them wrong the entire afternoon? She noticed his eyes light up, and he smiled. 

“How can I argue with that logic?”

She wanted nothing more than to run into his arms, but she waited for him to approach her, which he did slowly. He looked down at her, she up at him. Their eyes not once losing contact with each other. Zyra took in a deep breath. Ethan swallowed hard. Then suddenly, Zyra awkwardly wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head on his chest.

For Ethan, it took a moment to register her touch, but then he returned the embrace. He clutched her against him, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. His eyes narrowed as he felt her in his arms, selfishly not wanting to let her go. 

Zyra’s body relaxed in his embrace. She closed her eyes, feeling his chest rising and falling. She could hear the rapid beating of his heart, which matched the anxious pounding in her own chest. This is what he felt like. Now she knew. And his scent. The scent that lingered in his scarf could not compete with the exhilarating one from his actual body. 

“Thank you, Rookie,” he softly whispered.  
  
“Zyra,” she whispered back. “Call me Zyra.”

Ethan was the first one to pull away. He reached towards the scarf and straightened it. “Remember to stay warm, and enjoy your game night, Zyra.”

“Have a good one, Ethan. See you on Monday.” 

She walked towards the entrance of the store. The automatic double doors opened, and she immediately felt a rush of hot air. She looked back, but Ethan was already walking away, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. 

_Thank you, Ethan._


End file.
